In computer parlance, the phrases “copy and paste” typically refer to commands that enable a user to transfer material, such as text, data, files or objects from a source, such as a page of a document, to a destination, such as another page of the document. The user first selects the material, and then activates the copy command to create a duplicate instance of the material. The copied material is then temporally saved in a “clipboard.” The user places a cursor in a different position and then activates the “paste” command to transfer the material from the clipboard to the position where the paste command is issued. This operation is typically used with a graphical user interface that uses pointing devices such as a computer mouse, or by a drag-and-drop interaction, for example.
The copy and paste commands may also be used to transfer material from one application to another application. However, copying and pasting between applications can be cumbersome for the user. To illustrate, consider the example where a computer user has opened a document editor, a browser, an e-mail application, and that the document editor is currently in focus. If the user desires to transfer data from the e-mail application to the browser, the user must first change context from the document editor to the e-mail application, copy the data from the e-mail application, and then return back to the document editor to paste the copied data.
With conventional cut and paste commands, the user may linearly select a first, second and third elements from the source, but when this data is pasted to the destination application, the elements may be inserted into the destination application either in a top down or left right layout. Consequently, the user must then edit the pasted data into a form that fits the destination's purpose. For example, the user might have to move the pasted elements to the right location and/or within certain elements, or delete content, such as a header or footer, for instance. The context switching between applications, coordinating and editing of the inserted data requires steps which lead to extra work to produce a quality product.
Accordingly, a need exists for an improved method and system for copying and pasting between applications.